//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Resurfacing of Monsters named Mann // by Timemaster //------------------------------// The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Ten For about a year, we fought to claim this land on the other side of the world, but we have only gotten this small building in the southernmost part of the native's land. My men and I have been stationed here since a week ago.The natives, which my superiors call 'Mann', have slaughtered half my entire squad in mere days, but we got one of them with a bolt to the head. It looked hilariously like a unicorn. The others. We took its corpse to our wooden head quarters, stripped it of its leather armor, and put it in our supply room, for there is not many rooms in this building. Celebrating, my men went to bed just a bit early, but I had stayed up. I heard rumbling in this quiet house, but I thought it was one of my men getting a drink, so I did not question it. What a mistake that was. In a matter of minutes, screams echoed from a bunker where some of my best men slept. I got my spear, running into the bunker, only to find the monster eating one of my men with its bare hands. It had turned around to me, its one big eye staring at me. Its muscles tensed and showed no fear before charging me. I froze. I froze. I would have died, frozen from shear fear of the beast, but was saved by one of my griffons. Using a spear, Johnson stabbed the big eye of the monster. The scream of the beast was traumatizing, but was halted when I stabbed my spear into the beast's heart. Its skin was hard, but with sheer force, I managed to pierce through. But even then, the fear ignited from that beast won't stop harassing me. I mean... it was only one of them. One, unarmored, weaponless, vulnerable, Mann had killed five of my griffons and made the other hundred afraid. If that beast can do that, I cannot imagine fighting an armored and armed Mann in close combat. a day ago, the day after the attack, I had contacted main HQ in Gryphonia and requested them to send the army by our fast messenger, who flew there and back in a matter of hours. They, at first, rejected. Then I told them of the attack. Afraid that the only base we had in the native's land would be compromised, which would surely mean we lost, the Royal Lord of the Army told us that the army will be sent in a month's time. A month. In a week of being here, we had lost half our squad and then some... I just told my griffons that the army was coming, which brought up their morale... but then I mentioned WHEN they were coming. Some were still happy, but quite a few realized our situation and put their heads down, hiding their fear from the hopeful... Night is nearing, so I should go upstairs and make sure our night-watchers are actually looking around the base, instead of curling up and crying. You see, the griffon who was eaten that day was a member of the night watch who had sacrificed himself to scream and save his friends. I have put on a pair of goggles, as to hide my tears from my griffons. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader, Jables Cloud. K.I.A. Cadet Fire Starter—Pummeled to Death Cadet Jameson Highlander—Neck snapped when punched Cadet Jameson Donner—Head removed when punched Cadet Lemon "Lemon" Lemon— Chest squashed inward while sleeping Cadet Lightheart Flyer—Sacrificed himself to save others; Eaten The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Eleven Nothing much happened today. We had a small funeral for those lost, then I sent out a scout to fly around for a few days, for we need to know what is around here. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader Jables Cloud The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Twelve The men and I had a small party today, for it was my birthday. Even though we were still saddened over the deaths of our friends, we felt a bit better. The fear of the monsters has dwindled, but we still have a watchgriffon group of adept crossbowgriffons. One of the watchgriffons made me a cake on his time off, and I am eating a piece of it while writing this, and it is quite good for what little ingredients we have here. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader, and fourty-five year old, Jables Cloud The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Thirteen We have discovered that the armory's door is somewhat rotten compared to the other doors. We will fix it when Cadet Leo, the scout, comes back, for he is also our builder. The scout has been gone longer than expected, but that is not that bad, for he has always been slow. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader, Jables Cloud The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Fourteen Our scout came back today. He came back, through the ceiling of the lunchroom, scaring everyone eating breakfast. He was mangled, a bolt through his beak (horizontally), but otherwise unscathed. Well, he is unconscious from his crash, but he is expected to come to in a day or two. I just hope whatever hurt him did not follow. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader, Jables Cloud The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Fifteen My worst fear has come into fruition. It seems out scout had left a bloodtrail when he was escaping back to base. He still is not awake, so I cannot berate him for possibly leading an army to us. All I can do is wait for now, and hope. My lord, if we come into contact with a large group of Manns... I do not think we will live. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader, Jables Cloud The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Sixteen The scout woke up today. He told us of groups of three or four Manns spotted him flying, but only one shot at him. He said they must be bad shots, for they could not even hit him down, but he also said that they had swords not unlike our own. In fact, he said they were better, for the Manns tower above us at a strong seven feet and are capable of carrying bigger swords. I am afraid, but I think we may be able to handle the groups of three or four Manns. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader, Jables Cloud The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Seventeen Silence. Everyone in the base is silently waiting for the Manns to arrive. We are all at our posts, crossbows at the ready. I told them all to aim for the eye, for it was big and vulnerable. We waited. We waited. We still have not slept. Signing off, Nomad Squad Leader, Jables Cloud The Mighty Kingdom of Gryphonia Journal of "Nomad" Squad Leader Jables Year One, Month One, Day Eighteen I have been up for hours. I cannot sleep, for they are out there. I saw them. I saw them in groups of 10, bigger than the scout said. They are armed outside. They are sleeping in tents, waiting to eat us. Can't take this anymore. I saw them, they saw me. They shot at me. They got me. They got me from far away, in this light snowstorm. How? How are they so strong? How did they see me? How did they make me fear them? How? How? HOW? I am inside, in the infirmary, healing up. I am fine, I am not dying. I am not dead. I just... I just... I can't fly anymore. They got my left wing. My wing. I am grounded. I can no longer evacuate like the rest may, for blimps cannot fly here without being shot down. I am stuck in this death trap, grounded. Those bastards. I can't leave the room. I am stuck in this bed, while they are right outside our door. We cannot shoot at them, for they are always faster. Three of my crossbowgriffons lay by me, injured themselves. They were adept crossbowgriffons, but were downed by those beasts. The beasts are too good at crossbowgriffon-ship to just be primitive like I was told when I came here. I am stuck with them. My men are defending the doors in the front and back, for there is no windows to defend, but I cannot bring myself to say to them that it is not enough. Just one of them can kill all my griffons. I am sure that we're doomed. I am doomed. I am stuck, for they have restrained me to this bed to 'keep me safe'. None of my griffons are true doctors, and we had no anesthetic. I felt too much pain while my wing was removed, but that is not why I am horrified. I am horrified of how easily I lost. I am a master crossbow griffon, but I lost to a Mann with an interesting armor. The armor was metal, but had metal overlapping against metal, different from our chains. The armor was pitch white, which made it hard to aim at him or her or it. I, on the other claw, was wearing our nation's symbolic red armor against the brown walls of the base. It cost me a wing. It cost me my confidence. It scares me... I have just heard my door lock for some reason. I do not see the door, but I hear the clattering of claws against ground. My lord, I have just been told of the situation. They got in. They broke down the door leading to our armory, killed the troops, and got a cannon. They then proceeded to blow up the part of the building furthest from us. I am now laying down, along with some of my men, in this cold, small, escape shaft. I am waiting for Cadet Larson to open the escape hatch. I am now far away from the base, but still underground. Larson and I agreed to travel to the beach through this tunnel, where we can hopefully run to the safety of Equestria and request to be sent home. Larson is opening another escape hatch, this time to the beach, and the three cadets behind me, Larson, and I are dead silent. We are listening for any trace of the Manns. Larson has opened the hatch. We see no Mann, but there is a boat in the distance! It has an Equestrian flag, which is quite odd. It is sailing towards us, for we have signaled it, but it is quite slow, as if on lookout for Mann like we are. I stretch out my... wing, feeling it pop, and get up. The boat is right there... ack, my pen is running out of ink... I guess I'll just write till it is gone. I still cannot believe that we are finally going home. Well, that is if the Equestrians allow us to. I am pretty sure they will question us for some time, for we are at a small war. As they are almost docking, I guess it is time to stop reporting. I am sure they wouldn't want us to be doing anything suspicous on their boat. I waved at a shadow of a figure on the boat, and it waved back, but... wait. Ponies don't have cla—